Toledo Visits Kent State in Challenging Road Contest on Saturday
1/13/2023 11:23:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Rockets and Golden Flashes will tip off at 2:00 p.m. at M.A.C. Center
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women's basketball team hits the road for a challenging Mid-American Conference matchup against the Golden Flashes of Kent State this weekend. Saturday's game will tip off at 2:00 p.m. from the M.A.C. Center and will be streamed live on ESPN3.
The Rockets (11-3, 2-1 MAC) are coming off a big home win vs. Ball State on Wednesday night. Â Toledo led big after the first quarter, but found itself trailing the Cardinals by two points heading into the locker room at halftime. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor in the second half, but Toledo forced 10 turnovers and made 16-of-19 free throws to pull away down the stretch to claim the victory in a battle of two MAC heavyweights.
Early in the third quarter, senior Sophia Wiard became the 32nd player in program history to join the 1,000 Point Club at Toledo. The Muskegon, Mich. native joins teammate Quinesha Lockett as a 1,000-point scorer.
Lockett and Wiard were outstanding on Wednesday. Lockett led all players with 23 points, knocking down 9-of-11 two-point field goals while tallying a team-high three steals and grabbing five rebounds. In addition to achieving her personal milestone, Wiard scored 12 points and tallied a game-high eight assists while committing zero turnovers.
Lockett leads the Rockets in scoring (15.6 PPG) and three others are averaging at least nine points per game: Khera Goss (9.9 PPG), Sammi Mikonowiz (9.6 PPG), and Wiard (9.1 PPG).
Toledo leads the all-time series with Kent State, 45-35, and won both meetings last season. The Golden Flashes have won three of the last four meetings at the M.A.C. Center, thought the Rockets prevailed 69-60 last season.
The Rockets head south for the Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tires for a matchup with archrival Bowling Green (13-2, 2-1 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Toledo's next home game will be Saturday, Jan. 21 vs. Akron. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena, contact the Rocket Athletic Ticket Office at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or go online to UTRockets.com/tix.
Rocket Notes- Once again, the Rockets lead the MAC and are among the national leaders in average attendance, ranking 23rd nationally (3,971). They rank third among mid-major teams, only trailing New Mexico (4,978) and Gonzaga (4,838).
- As a team, the Rockets rank in the top three in the MAC in both scoring defense (2nd, 59.8) and scoring offense (3rd, 72.1), the only MAC team to rank in the top three in both categories.
- The Rockets rank second in the MAC in scoring margin (+12.4) and have won five games by at least 20 points.
- Toledo ranks among the top three in the league in both field goal percentage defense (38.6%) and three-point field goal percentage defense (27.5%), ranking third and first, respectively.
- Toledo ranks as the best free throw shooting team in the league, ranking first in the MAC in free throw percentage (78.2%), second in free throws made per game (15.4), and third in free throw attempts (19.6). UT ranks 16th in the country in free throw percentage.
- The Rockets have done an exceptional job of taking care of the ball, ranking second in the MAC and 19th in the country in fewest turnovers per game (12.8). UT has committed 12 or fewer turnovers in nine of its 14 games, including a season-low eight turnovers in the season opener vs. Wright State. Its 11 turnovers vs. Ball State on Wednesday are its fewest so far in MAC play.
- Following Wednesday's win, the Rockets have won 12 of their last 13 home conference games. They won their home conference opener last week vs. Western Michigan, 71-53.
- Quinesha Lockett's 1,602 career points are second-most among current MAC players behind Miami's Peyton Scott (1,617).
- Lockett enters Saturday's game sitting in eighth place all-time at Toledo with 1,602 career points. She is 76 points away from moving into seventh place and passing Kelly Savage (1986-90). Kim Knuth (1995-99) is Toledo's all-time leading scorer with 2,509 career points.
- Sophia Wiard has led Toledo in assists or shared the team lead in 10 of 14 games this season. Wiard leads the MAC in assists (4.6) and ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.50).
About Kent State
Kent State (10-4, 2-1 MAC) suffered its first MAC loss of the year at Miami on Wednesday, falling to the RedHawks 84-76 in overtime. The Golden Flashes are led by seniors Lindsey Thall (11.2 PPG) and Katie Shumate (10.8 PPG) on the offensive end, and Shumate also leads the team in rebounding (5.9 RPG). Kent State, picked to finish fourth in the MAC preseason poll, is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, ranking first in three-point field goals per game (8.7) and second in three-point field goal percentage (34.5).
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